Neil Halstead

Neil HalsteadPhoto Credit: Courtesy of Andy White

With a 25-year career spanning successes with shoegaze outfit Slowdive, country-rock group Mojave 3 and his own solo albums, it’s no wonder Neil Halstead has been described by Allmusic as “one of Britain’s most respected songwriters.”
When he was only 17 years old, Halstead helped found and fronted cult shoegaze band Slowdive, which morphed into country-folk outfit Mojave 3. Mojave 3 released a string of highly celebrated albums that merged jangly alt-country with dusky indie-pop.

But with the group on hiatus, Halstead is back with his third solo effort, Palindrome Hunches. Halstead drew comparisons to Nick Drake and Bert Jansch with his atmospheric acoustic picking on his two previous solo cuts, and his latest solo album Palindrome Hunches is no exception. Plucking banjo, gentle piano and acoustic stylings permeate throughout the record, complementing the album’s introspective tone.

Hear Halstead perform tracks from Palindrome Hunches and discuss the new record with David Dye on this edition of World Cafe.